Woman of the Week: How Ellen Keane overcame insecurity to become a gold medalist

Our latest Woman of the Week is Paralympian Ellen Keane, and here’s why…

Ellen became Ireland’s youngest ever athlete when she swam in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games at just 13 years old, and now more than a decade later she is gearing up to compete again in Tokyo in 2020.

The 23 year old, who is also completing a degree in Culinary Entrepreneurship in DIT Aungier Street, says it was her insecurity as a teenager that made her fall in love with swimming, and in turn, her body.

Ellen was born without her left arm from below the elbow, but began swimming lessons with her siblings and soon discovered her love for the sport.

‘I noticed I was different to everyone else when I hit teenage years and I got really insecure about my body. Swimming was the one place I felt safe,’ she told RTE News this week.

‘The more swam the more confident I got with my body and that is why swimming is so important to me.’

Over her years as a competitive swimmer, Ellen has competed in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, the 2012 London Paralympic Games in London, the 2013 IPC World Championships in Montreal, the 2014 European Championships in Eindhoven, the 2015 IPC World Championships in Glasgow and the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.

The Dubliner has also represented Ireland at the 2016 IPC Swimming European Open Championships where she secured two lifetime best swims.

Now she is focused on the World Swimming Championships in Malaysia later this summer.

‘I am different but that’s what makes me special. It’s like my superpower!’